Understanding the world of "Cosmeceuticals" advanced skin care products.

There are many of us who haven't got the slightest idea where to start looking in the enormous array of new skin and hair care products available on the markets today. This page might help you if you are looking for the basic element of beauty, the skin product.

A guide to choosing an advanced skin or hair care product

What is Retinol?

Retinol is the purest form of Vitamin A and is one of nature's most powerful anti-wrinkle ingredients. It works within the skin's surface to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. The prescription form of this product is called Retin-A or Renova.

Why your skin ages - and wrinkles!

Scientists claim that the sun is responsible for up to 90 percent of skin aging, causing wrinkles, eye and forehead lines (crow's feet from squinting in bright sunshine), hyper pigmentation, age spots and skin cancer, and the general loss of natural moisture and the skin's elasticity. (I bet those scientists don't live in Britain!)

Antioxidants in skin care products

The modern belief is that antioxidants are one of the most effective treatments for the skin. Antioxidants are vitamins, amino acids, and other natural substances that neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals

LA Science The LA Science Anti Hair Loss System is an advanced hair loss system developed to give results. Its unique, patented nano technology delivery system uses an active peptide complex that delivers the formula directly to the root of the problem, to strengthen and nourish your hair and provide an effective re-growth platform.

Lumos Lumos skincare products are designed as a series of scientifically created building blocks which will help you regain more youthful skin. Lumos One, Two, Three and Four are building blocks which can be used together to make an even greater impact.

Exuviance Exuviance skin care products are clinically proven to dramatically transform all skin types with fantastic results for various skin concerns from acne to premature ageing.

Hyalual Hyalual is a range of anti-aging products all with the aim of slowing down the ageing process in a safe, easy way. Hyalual energises the skin cells and hydrates the skin and reduces spider veins and skin dullness.

Teosysal Teosyal/Teoxane Cosmeceuticals are a range of innovative anti-ageing products that embody TEOXANE laboratories' skills in the field of aesthetic medicine and its expertise in the production of hyaluronic acid.

Through the process of neutralizing an effective and safe pH level is attained. Plainly stated, the lower the pH level the quicker and more aggressive the peel will be. If you are applying a peel in your home it needs to be at a safe yet still effective level.

The Biggest Advance in Skin Care Recently

Over the past several years the availability of broad-spectrum sunscreens, along with the realisation by people of the importance of sunscreen, has been a huge advance.

Another is the accessibility of skin-care products that improve the appearance of the skin. In the past a moisturiser was just a moisturiser, but now you can get ingredients such as retinol, glycolic acid and soy, among many others included in the screen. And there is solid science behind these products that shows they can help with sun damage.

What "Buffered" Means

The buffered versus non-buffered debate is really a funny one. All Glycolic Acids for use on the skin are buffered, except for 100% Glycolic Acid.

Also, all Glycolic Acids for use on the skin are Pharmaceutical Grade, which is 99% pure. When it is a 40% Glycolic Acid solution (or any other strength solution besides 100%), that means that there is 40% Glycolic Acid and 60% other ingredients to slow down the acid delivery.

Chemical exfoliation - speeding up the skin renewal process

Exfoliation is a process that can take some time, not a quick fix. The cleansing process helps to remove dead skin cells. As the top layers are removed so new skin is encouraged to grow and, oddly enough, it is UV radiation that stimulates skin growth.
The entire process takes several weeks, but afterwards skin should be noticeably smoother and cleaner (younger if you like). Typically, within the first 3 weeks the skin begins to show improved tone with very few side-effects (breakouts). Deep cleansing and exfoliation is a process which takes some time to work.
After the skin has renewed itself, it is important to continue weekly treatments to keep the new - and clean - pores from becoming clogged. At first you will have thick skin, so you might be able to do a peel every other day, but as the layers of the epidermis are stripped away you will notice some sensitivity and you will need to allow more time between treatments.
Remember: do not over do it, you cannot remove skin faster than new skin can grow.

Free Radicals

Free radicals are unstable, oxygen-containing molecules found in the body and under the skin. They have lost an electron and need to steal other electrons from other molecules to get back into balance, thereby damaging the cells from which they take an electron. Free-radical damage is believed now to be part of the cause of aging. It is important to have antioxidants in your system, both internally through nutrition and externally through applicated creams.

How Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) work

By dissolving the ionic bonds that hold the dead skin cells together, those cells are then able to very gently broken down and removed by the body's natural systems, to allow new healthy cells to the surface. AHA's break the bonds between weakened skin cells, making it easy to exfoliate them and to encourage the production of new cells.

Using a glycolic treatment (containing at least 25% glycolic acid) will lead to a 25% increase in skin thickness, improved quality of elastic fibers and an increased density of collagen.

Cosmeceuticals.

These are medical grade skin care products, and are developed for physicians, in that they provide pharmaceutical grade ingredients and come with some quality control.

They have a proven record of cleansing, moisturizing, protecting and exfoliating the skin to reduce fine lines, to restore glow and tone, to protect against the harmful effects of solar radiation and pollution, and they generally slow the effects of aging on the skin. These are technically medicines rather than creams.

Do cosmeceuticals really work?

One can take two approaches with anti-ageing cosmetics. 1) The sanding and peeling approach, which may stimulate collagen production through the response to irritation, but it thins the skin, destroys its lipid barrier, makes skin vulnerable to sun damage and may even tire out its collagen-producing fibroblasts over time, or 2) The approach which rebuilds the skins integrity and defenses, while stimulating collagen synthesis and skin cell regeneration without irritation. My personal recommendation is the latter, so you wont find information on the new self-microdermabrasion, alpha hydroxy acid or retinol products here, natural or otherwise. What you will find here are powerfully effective, more skin-friendly takes on the hottest cosmeceutical trends in skincare — without the soup of synthetic emollients and perfumes or the plumped-up price.
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The Super-Antioxidants

We have known for a long time that topically applied antioxidants such as beta carotene, vitamin E and C were able to significantly reduce skin aging. But those are weak antioxidants - says Linda Miles, L. Ac. and V. P. of Derma-E Natural Bodycare - Super-antioxidants, like pycnogenol and astaxanthin, are 50 to 500 times more potent than vitamin E. They are also anti-inflammatory. Pycnogenol stabilizes the capillary system to encourage it to pick up fluid and retain it, and thus benefits under-eye puffiness as well as rosacea. Astaxanthin, perhaps the most powerful of all antioxidant-anti-inflammatories, stimulates defensive skin cells to seek out and eliminate problems - Dr. Phillip Cohen, MD, ND, a holistic dermatologist, co-formulated Ecco Bellas new Health by Chocolate line of edible, drinkable, and externally applied skincare, as well as their MD Formulated line - Dark chocolate has four times the polyphenol antioxidant content of green tea, and the same as red wine - says Cohen - It is also rich in magnesium, which increases energy production in the cells, increases relaxation, and contributes to your glow - The MD Formulated line as well as the Health by Chocolate line (which I have diligently taste-tested) are enhanced with the super-antioxidants astaxanthin, lycopene, lutein, and blueberry extracts.
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